An international tobacco smuggling network in Portugal and Spain was finally dismantled yesterday by the GNR, with 23 people suspected of being involved.
Called Operation Tabaco Ibérico, the police action took place between last Wednesday and this Monday and resulted in the "arrest of 16 men and one woman, aged between 44 and 65", of which 12 are Spanish and five Portuguese. The arrests took place in the Portuguese cities of Braga, Guimarães, Porto, Lisbon and Setúbal and in the Spanish city of Seville, the commander of the Lisbon Fiscal Action Detachment of the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR), captain Hélder Fernandes told the Lusa news agency.
During the investigation, which has been going on for about a year, another five people had already been arrested, of which one of Portuguese nationality and four Spaniards, with a total of 23 detainees, as they are directly related to the practice of illegal activities in investigation, said the GNR commander.
According to this security force, the objective of the operation was to end the logistical bases for the storage, treatment, packaging and distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products, as well as "putting an end to the ongoing criminal activity, which is presumed to have harmed the economic interests of both countries by around four million euros".
In this context, the police authorities complied with 70 search warrants in Portugal and 12 in Spain, of which 32 were for a house search and 50 for a non-household search, including warehouses, garages and vehicles.
Among the material seized was about 454,000 manufactured cigarettes; about eight tons of tobacco leaf and fine-cut tobacco (that would produce about eight million cigarettes); various machines used in drying, crushing and packaging tobacco products; miscellaneous raw materials used in illicit production, such as cigarette tubes, cardboard packets and bags/boxes for packaging tobacco; plus seven firearms.
"116,000 euros in cash was also confiscated; 100,000 euros seized in bank accounts; 24 light vehicles and various computer equipment", said the GNR, adding that, during the investigation, "a total of 1,825,120 cigarettes and 11 tons of other tobacco products (tobacco leaf and ground tobacco)" was seized.
In addition to the total of 23 detainees, 17 defendants of Portuguese nationality were also interviewed, "accused of the practice of facts likely to substantiate the crime of smuggling, fraudulent introduction into qualified consumption, qualified tax fraud, money laundering and receipt of goods subject to crime customs."
Original article available in Portuguese at http://postal.pt/
